The 1973 WHA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the World Hockey Association's 1972-1973 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion New England Whalers defeating the Western Division champion Winnipeg Jets in five games for the first Avco Cup championship.

Bracket

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
E1 New England 4
E4 Ottawa 1
E1 New England 4
Eastern Division
E2 Cleveland 1
E2 Cleveland 4
E3 Philadelphia 0
E1 New England 4
W1 Winnipeg 1
W1 Winnipeg 4
W4 Minnesota 1
W1 Winnipeg 4
Western Division
W2 Houston 0
W2 Houston 4
W3 Los Angeles 2

Preliminary Round

At the end of the season, the WHA had a problem involving the fourth and final team to make the postseason in the Western Division. The Alberta Oilers and Minnesota Fighting Saints finished the season with the same record of 38–37–3. The two tiebreakers the league had were wins and head-to-head, but Alberta had won the final game of the season over Minnesota 5–3 that was also their fourth victory over Minnesota in eight contests.[1] The league Board of Governors, meeting quickly to decide, elected to move on a one-game playoff while allowing the Oilers to have a choice of site, and they elected to pick Calgary.[2][3][4]

April 4Minnesota Fighting Saints4–2
(1–0, 1-0, 2–2)		Alberta OilersCalgary Corral
Mike Curran (22 saves / 25 shots)GoaliesJack Norris (20 saves / 24 shots)
17:15 (1st) - Mel Pearson
11:07 (2nd) - Wayne Connelly (Terry Ball, John Arbour), - PP
3:14 (3rd) - Mike Antonovich (Bill Young, John Arbour)
3:34 (3rd)- Bill Young (Mike McMahon, Wayne Connelly)		Goals6:37 (3rd) Ron Walters (Jim Harrison, Dennis Kassian)
8:25 (3rd) Ken Baird (Bob Wall, Rusty Patenaude)

Division Semifinals

Eastern Division Semifinals

(E1) New England Whalers vs. (E4) Ontario Nationals

Owing to a dispute with the city of Ottawa, the Nationals elected to play their playoff games at Maple Leaf Gardens rather than their regular season home of the Ottawa Civic Centre. The team called themselves the "Ontario Nationals" for the playoffs and never played in Ottawa again, as they were sold to interests that had them play in Toronto as the Toronto Toros. Mike Byers became the first WHA player to end a postseason series with an overtime goal with his score in Game 5 that saw the Whalers send the Nationals home.

April 7Ottawa Nationals3–6
(0–1, 1-2, 2–3)		New England WhalersBoston Garden
Les BinkleyGoaliesAl Smith
Bob Charlebois
Jack Gibson
Rick Cunningham		GoalsLarry Pleau
Kevin Ahearn
Tommy Williams
Mike Byers
Brit Selby
Terry Caffery
28Shots58
April 8Ottawa Nationals3–4 (OT)
(2–0, 0–2, 1–1, 0-1)		New England WhalersBoston Garden
Gilles GrattonGoaliesAl Smith
Brian Conacher
Gavin Kirk
Ron Climie		GoalsTom Webster (2)
Brad Selwood
Brit Selby (3:37)
29Shots57
April 10New England Whalers2–4
(0–2, 1–1, 1–1)		Ottawa NationalsMaple Leaf Gardens
Al SmithGoaliesLes Binkley
Tom Webster (2)GoalsRick Sentes (2)
Ken Stephanson
Guy Trottier
21Shots24
April 12New England Whalers7–3
(3–0, 3–2, 1–1)		Ottawa NationalsMaple Leaf Gardens
Al SmithGoaliesLes Binkley
Tommy Williams (3)
Terry Caffery (2)
Larry Pleau
Mike Byers		Goals7:07 (2nd) - Wayne Carleton
14:34 (2nd)- Wayne Carleton
13:01 (3rd) - Wayne Carleton
35Shots18
April 14Ottawa Nationals4–5 (OT)
(1–2, 1–2, 2–0, 0-1)		New England WhalersBoston Garden
Gilles Gratton
Les Binkley		GoaliesAl Smith
Gavin Kirk
Tom Simpson
Rick Sentes
Brian Gibbons		GoalsTom Webster (3)
Larry Pleau
GW - Mike Byers (3:47)
30Shots39

(E2) Cleveland Crusaders vs. (E3) Philadelphia Blazers

The Crusaders finished as the second-best team in the East with a 43-32-3 record and led the league in goals allowed with just 239 to go with a 4th best offense with 287 goals. The Philadelphia Blazers squeaked into the postseason as the 3rd team with a record of 38–40 to go with the third best offense with 288 goals scored and a 10th ranked defense with 305 allowed. In the first game, Buchanon became the first WHA player to score a playoff overtime goal that gave Cleveland a 3–2 victory. It wound up also being the last WHA game played by Bernie Parent, who elected to leave the team in a contract dispute where the team had apparently dipped into the escrow account meant to play Parent's salary that essentially saw his contract voided.[5]

In Game 2, Cleveland held Philadelphia scoreless for the first 56 minutes in a 7-1 win while Gary Jarrett became the first WHA player to accomplish a playoff hattrick (six further players joined him in the postseason). The Crusaders rolled to a four-game sweep while the Blazers moved to Vancouver in the offseason.[6][7][8]

April 4Philadelphia Blazers2–3 (OT)
(0–0, 0–2, 2–0, 0-1)		Cleveland CrusadersCleveland Arena
Bernie ParentGoaliesGerry Cheevers
John McKenzie (2)GoalsPaul Shmyr
Ray Clearwater
GW – Ron Buchanan
39Shots45
April 7Philadelphia Blazers1–7
(0–2, 0–4, 1–1)		Cleveland CrusadersCleveland Arena
Marcel Paille
Yves Archambault		GoaliesGerry Cheevers
Rychard CampeauGoalsGary Jarrett (3)
Jim Wiste (2)
Gerry Pinder
Grant Erickson
30Shots38
April 8Cleveland Crusaders2–3
(1–0, 1–1, 1–0)		Philadelphia BlazersPhiladelphia Civic Center
Gerry CheeversGoaliesYves Archambault
Paul Andrea
Grant Erickson
Gary Jarrett		GoalsDon Burgess
21Shots24
April 7Cleveland Crusaders6–2
(1–1, 4–1, 1–0)		Philadelphia BlazersPhiladelphia Civic Center
Gerry CheeversGoaliesYves Archambault
Gerry Pinder
Paul Andrea
Skip Krake
Jim Wiste
Bob Dillabough
Rich Pumple		GoalsDon Herriman
John McKenzie
32Shots34

Western Division Semifinals

(W1) Winnipeg Jets vs. (W4) Minnesota Fighting Saints

The Winnipeg Jets marched in as the best team in the Western Division with a 43-31-4 record that excelled at defense, holding teams to 249 goals allowed (2nd of 12 teams) with a passable 5th-ranked offense. The Minnesota Fighting Saints, having survived the tie-breaker and marching in with a 38-37-3 record that had a weak offense (250 goals, 11th of 12 teams) and a middling defense (6th). The Jets won the first two games and split the two in St. Paul to set up Game 5, which they won.[9]

April 6Minnesota Fighting Saints1–3
(0–1, 0-0, 1–2)		Winnipeg JetsWinnipeg Arena
Jack McCartanGoaliesErnie Wakely
Mike AntonovichGoalsBobby Hull (2)
Christian Bordeleau
29Shots29
April 8Minnesota Fighting Saints2–5
(1–1, 1–2, 0–2)		Winnipeg JetsWinnipeg Arena
Jack McCartanGoaliesJoe Daley
George Morrison
Ted Hampson		GoalsChristian Bordeleau
Danny Johnson
Wally Boyer
Norm Beaudin
Bobby Hull
27Shots47
April 10Winnipeg Jets4–6
(2–4, 1–0, 1–2)		Minnesota Fighting SaintsSt. Paul Civic Center
Ernie WakelyGoaliesJack McCartan
Bill Sutherland
Dunc Rousseau
Cal Swenson
Jean-Guy Gratton		GoalsJim Johnson (2)
Bill Klatt
Bill Young
Wayne Connelly
Leonard Lilyholm
40Shots30
April 11Winnipeg Jets3–2 (OT)
(1–1, 0–1, 1–0, 1-0)		Minnesota Fighting SaintsSt. Paul Civic Center
Joe DaleyGoaliesMike Curran
Larry Hornung
Bill Sutherland
GW - Norm Beaudin (3:12)		GoalsTed Hampson
Terry Ball
41Shots31
April 15Minnesota Fighting Saints5–8
(2-2, 2-5, 1-1)		Winnipeg JetsWinnipeg Arena
Mike Curran
Jack McCartan		GoaliesErnie Wakely
Mel Pearson (2)
Keith Christiansen
Mike Antonovich
Ted Hampson		GoalsNorm Beaudin (3)
Bill Sutherland (2)
Bob Ash
Ab McDonald
Joe Zanussi
42Shots34

(W2) Houston Aeros vs. (W3) Los Angeles Sharks

April 5Los Angeles Sharks2–7
(0–3, 1-1, 1–3)		Houston AerosSam Houston Coliseum
George Gardner
Russ Gillow		GoaliesWayne Rutledge
Jim Niekamp (2)GoalsTed Taylor (2)
Larry Hale
Brian McDonald
Dunc McCallum
Ed Hoekstra
Larry Lund
30Shots31
April 7Los Angeles Sharks4–2
(1–1, 0–1, 3–0)		Houston AerosSam Houston Coliseum
George GardnerGoaliesWayne Rutledge
Gary Veneruzzo (2)
Ted McCaskill
Tom Gilmore		GoalsMurray Hall
Brian McDonald
28Shots29
April 11Houston Aeros2–3
(2–3, 0–0, 0–0)		Los Angeles SharksLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Don McLeodGoaliesRuss Gillow
Dunc McCallum
Brian McDonald		GoalsAlton White
Fred Speck
Gerry Odrowski
31Shots28
April 13Houston Aeros3–2 (OT)
(0–0, 1–1, 1–1, 1-0)		Los Angeles SharksLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Wayne RutledgeGoaliesRuss Gillow
Larry Lund
Poul Popiel
OT - Murray Hall - 3:38		GoalsTed McCaskill
Fred Speck
24Shots37
April 15Los Angeles Sharks3–6
(2-3, 0-2, 1-1)		Houston AerosSam Houston Coliseum
George Gardner
Russ Gillow		GoaliesWayne Rutledge
Earl Heiskala
Gary Veneruzzo
Jerry Zrymiak		GoalsFrank Hughes (2)
Poul Popiel
Larry Lund
Gord Labossiere
Murray Hall
41Shots27
April 17Houston Aeros3–2
(2–0, 1–1, 0–1)		Los Angeles SharksLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Wayne RutledgeGoaliesRuss Gillow
Frank Hughes (2)
Murray Hall		GoalsRalph MacSweyn
Fred Speck
30Shots32

Division Finals

Eastern Division Final

(E1) New England Whalers vs. (E2) Cleveland Crusaders

New England beat Cleveland in five games.[10]

April 18Cleveland Crusaders2–3
(0–1, 0-0, 2–2)		New England WhalersBoston Garden
Gerry CheeversGoaliesAl Smith
Ron Buchanan
Rich Pumple		GoalsTim Sheehy (2)
Larry Pleau
26Shots32
April 19Cleveland Crusaders2–3
(2–1, 0–2, 0–0)		New England WhalersBoston Garden
Gerry CheeversGoaliesAl Smith
Ron Buchanan
Wayne Muloin		GoalsLarry Pleau (2)
Tom Webster
31Shots34
April 21New England Whalers5–4
(2–1, 1–1, 2–2)		Cleveland CrusadersCleveland Arena
Al SmithGoaliesGerry Cheevers
Tim Sheehy (2)
Guy Smith
Jim Dorey
Larry Pleau		GoalsRon Buchanan (2)
Gary Jarrett
Ted Hodgson
27Shots21
April 22New England Whalers2–5
(1–2, 0–1, 1–2)		Cleveland CrusadersCleveland Arena
Al SmithGoaliesGerry Cheevers
Tim Sheehy
Larry Pleau		GoalsGary Jarrett (3)
Ron Buchanan (2)
36Shots33
April 26Cleveland Crusaders1–3
(1–1, 0–1, 0–1)		New England WhalersBoston Garden
Gerry CheeversGoaliesAl Smith
Rich PumpleGoalsTim Sheehy
Tommy Earl
Brad Selwood
31Shots32

Western Division Final

(W1) Winnipeg Jets vs. (W2) Houston Aeros

April 20Houston Aeros1–5
(0–1, 0-0, 1–2)		Winnipeg JetsWinnipeg Arena
Wayne RutledgeGoaliesJoe Daley
Duke HarrisGoalsWally Boyer (2)
Bill Sutherland
Danny Johnson
Bobby Hull
22Shots29
April 22Houston Aeros0–2
(0–0, 0–0, 0–2)		Winnipeg JetsWinnipeg Arena
Don McLeodGoaliesErnie Wakely
NoneGoalsDunc Rousseau
Norm Beaudin
28Shots27
April 24Winnipeg Jets4–2
(2–0, 1–0, 1–2)		Houston AerosSam Houston Coliseum
Joe DaleyGoaliesDon McLeod
Joe Zanussi
Norm Beaudin
Bobby Hull
Christian Bordeleau		GoalsTed Taylor
Jack Stanfield
22Shots40
April 26Winnipeg Jets3–0
(1–0, 0–0, 2–0)		Houston AerosSam Houston Coliseum
Ernie WakelyGoaliesWayne Rutledge
Norm Beaudin (2)
Larry Hornung		GoalsNone
32Shots25

Avco Cup Final

The first Avco Cup matched the two best teams in the Divisions with the Winnipeg Jets and the New England Whalers. Unusually, the Whalers hosted Game 1 but not Game 2, as Winnipeg hosted Game 2 and Game 3 before the series shifted back to Boston for Game 4 and Game 5. Winnipeg had a lead in three of the five games, but the Whalers came back twice to go along with a powerful scoring attack that saw fourteen different players score a goal for the team in the series, with Larry Pleau scoring the first hat trick in an Avco Cup Final in the pivotal Game 5.[11]


April 29 New England Whalers 7–2 Winnipeg Jets Boston Garden  
12:10 – Rick Ley (Dorey, Webster)
14:07 – Tom Webster (Williams, Hurley)
16:13 – Tommy Earl (Sheehy, Green)
19:37 – John French 		First period 10:02 – Norm Beaudin (Bordeleau, Hull)
10:55 – Tom Webster (Williams, Hurley)
16:01 – Tom Williams (French) 		Second period No scoring
3:45 – Jim Dorey (Sheehy, Earl) Third period 11:07 – Bobby Hull
Al Smith 25 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Joe Daley 18 saves / 25 shots
May 2 Winnipeg Jets 4–7 New England Whalers Winnipeg Arena  
0:33 - Norm Beaudin (Hull, Hornung)
19:20 - Christian Bordeleau (Hull, Beaudin) 		First period 19:46 - Tom Williams (Webster, Dorey)
5:59 - Wally Boyer (Rousseau, Zanussi)
7:37 - Christian Bordeleau (Hull, Woytowich) 		Second period 1:47 - Brad Selwood (Williams)
Third period 2:19 - Jim Dorey (Williams, Webster)
3:08 - Brit Selby (Williams, Webster)
9:03 - John French (Ley, Sheehy)
10:16 - John Cunniff (Byers)
18:59 - John French (Hurley, Pleau)
Ernie Wakely 29 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Al Smith 21 saves / 25 shots
May 3 Winnipeg Jets 4–3 New England Whalers Winnipeg Arena  
15:23 - Bobby Hull (Bordeleau, Beaudin)
19:34 - Ab McDonald (Beaudin, Hornung) 		First period No scoring
5:21 - Danny Johnson (Hull, Hornung) Second period 14:44 - Rick Ley (Byers)
19:33 - Bobby Hull (Beaudin, Ash) Third period 4:23 - Ted Green (Ley, Webster)
18:56 - Tim Sheehy (French, Dorey)
Joe Daley 24 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Al Smith 24 saves / 28 shots
May 5 New England Whalers 2–4 Winnipeg Jets Boston Garden  
No scoring First period 15:50 - Bobby Hull (Bordeleau)
0:47 - Larry Pleau (Sheehy, Ley)
14:11 - Mike Byers (Earl, Dorey)
16:17 - Tim Sheehy (Dorey, Selwood) 16:17 		Second period No scoring
7:17 - Mike Byers (Earl) Third period 19:54 - Dunc Rousseau (Ash)
Al Smith 28 saves /30 shots Goalie stats Ernie Wakely 28 saves / 32 shots
May 6 New England Whalers 9–6 Winnipeg Jets Boston Garden  
0:21 - Tom Webster (Williams, Ley)
4:43 - Larry Pleau
11:47 - Guy Smith (Williams, Webster)
15:43 - Rick Ley
18:41 - Tim Sheehy (Webster, Pleau) 		First period 7:07 - Danny Johnson (Sutherland)
17:53 - Norm Beaudin (Hull)
0:15 - Tom Webster (Williams, Green) Second period 3:15 - Norm Beaudin (Bordeleau, McDonald)
4:02 - Milt Black (Shmyr)
5:24 - Larry Pleau (Sheehy, French)
7:31 - Larry Pleau (Sheehy, French)
17:20 - Mike Byers (Green, Williams) 		Third period 4:59 - Bob Woytowich (Swenson, Asmundson)
18:10 - Freeman Asmundson (Swenson, Cuddie)
Al Smith 36 saves / 42 shots Goalie stats Joe Daley 18 saves / 27 shots
New England won series 4–1


Player statistics

Skaters

These were the top ten skaters based on points.[12]

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
Norm Beaudin Winnipeg Jets 14 13 15 28 2
Tom Webster New England Whalers 15 12 14 26 6
Bobby Hull Winnipeg Jets 14 9 16 25 16
Tim Sheehy New England Whalers 15 9 14 23 13
Jim Dorey New England Whalers 15 3 16 19 41
Larry Pleau New England Whalers 15 12 7 19 15
Tommy Williams New England Whalers 15 6 11 17 2
John French New England Whalers 15 3 11 14 2
Bill Sutherland Winnipeg Jets 14 5 9 14 9
Christian Bordeleau Winnipeg Jets 12 5 8 13 4

Goaltending

These were the top five goaltenders in terms of minutes.[13]

Player Team GP GA SA SV SV% SO MIN
Al Smith New England Whalers 15 49 430 381 .886 0 909
Gerry Cheevers Cleveland Crusaders 9 22 278 256 .921 0 548
Wayne Rutledge Houston Aeros 7 20 228 208 .912 0 423
Joe Daley Winnipeg Jets 7 25 199 174 .874 0 422
Ernie Wakely Winnipeg Jets 7 22 210 188 .895 2 420

References

  1. ^ https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/1973-alberta-oilers-vs-minnesota-fighting-saints-preliminary-round.html
  2. ^ https://www.ultimate70s.com/nhlbox/19730404/MIN/ALB/W
  3. ^ https://whahockey.com/oilers.html
  4. ^ https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/reflecting-on-the-humble-beginnings-of-oilers-hockey-fifty-years-ago-today
  5. ^ https://www.inquirer.com/flyers/philadelphia-blazers-world-hockey-association-bernie-parent-rival-flyers-20230401.html
  6. ^ https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/1973-cleveland-crusaders-vs-philadelphia-blazers-east-division-semi-finals.html
  7. ^ Surgent, Scott (1990). The Complete World Hockey Association 11th Edition. Surgent. p. 74. ISBN 978-1727753424.
  8. ^ https://www.surgent.net/wha/year/197273/playoffs.html
  9. ^ https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/1973-minnesota-fighting-saints-vs-winnipeg-jets-west-division-semi-finals.html
  10. ^ https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/1973-cleveland-crusaders-vs-new-england-whalers-east-division-finals.html
  11. ^ https://dailymcplay.com/2024/12/28/wha-saturday-1973-awards-analysis/
  12. ^ https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/WHA_1973_skaters.html#stats::points
  13. ^ https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/WHA_1973_goalies.html

WHA playoffs

Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_WHA_playoffs
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